Older brother knew best
by Harugura
Summary: Iceland has found an interest in the new tranfer student but doesn't dare approach him. But when big brother Norway gives him a push in the right direction, can that curiosity turn into something more? HongIce, shounen-ai/yaoi, M in later chapters!
1. They actually talked!

Iceland was never a very curious person. He was usually quiet and somewhere off to the side, not really paying much attention to anything. He never tried to involve himself in anyone's private matters. The main reason why was: it had never interested him. Nothing about today's gossip or deep dark secrets really sounded appealing to him. It was all so boring. So when a new transfer student managed to peak Iceland's interest, that made him a bit confused… The student didn't do anything special but it's more of what he…_didn't _do. He wasn't lively and over-the-top, like most of the students wanted. He was calm. He simply walked in front of the class, gave a quick bow and sat down where the teacher said to. His name was Hong Kong, and he was the younger brother of upperclassmen, China. It had been a few months since he arrived and the hype of the new student had died down. Everyone started to leave him alone, figuring out that he wasn't going to do anything _'exciting' _any time soon. He just read, drew and listened to music sometimes. So why would _he_ of all people, get Iceland's attention?

The bell rang, signalling the end of class. Iceland quietly gathered his things and walked out the door, heading towards the Newspaper club. Though Hetalia High was a school only for countries, they had what most human high schools had. There were clubs, report cards and school dances (which Iceland assumed was to make sure this school didn't seem to stick out from the normal ones nearby) and his brother, Norway was in Newspaper club. And for some reason, Norway insisted that Iceland walked home with him every day. Despite how many times his brother bailed on him for a number of reasons, Iceland agreed. He didn't mind having to walk home with his brother; he just hated the waiting part… When he reached the Newspaper club, he saw Hong Kong and China standing outside talking. They were speaking in Chinese so, Iceland couldn't understand them. China seemed to be apologizing for something, franticly bowing as Hong Kong just stood there, occasionally nodding.

"_I wonder what they're talking about…"_ As Iceland disregarded that thought and kept walking forward, he saw Norway leaning against the clubroom's doorframe. He seemed to be staring off into space, his expression didn't change much but Iceland knew his brother.

"Hello." Iceland said, pulling Norway out of his daydream. Norway looked down at him with same blank expression as ever.

"Hey…"

"Are you ready to go now?" he replied, adjusting the bag strap on his shoulder.

"No, I can't. I have to stay a little later, sorry."

Iceland shrugged, "No problem." He turned on his heels, looking back, "So, I'll see you at home?"

Norway grabbed Iceland by the shoulder, "No, we're still walking home together."

Iceland frowned in confusion, "But I thought you said-?"

"You'll wait for me at the library." Norway concluded, Iceland sighed in reply. Yup, Iceland _definitely_ didn't like the waiting part…

"Oh, you're going to stay late aru?" Norway and Iceland turned around to see China behind them.

"Yeah, I still have another article to write." Norway replied.

"Well, I see who won that rock-paper-scissors battle over the latest mystery story aru!" China laughed.

Norway smirked slightly, "Yes well, England was a worthy opponent." He gestured to Iceland, "This is my little brother, Iceland." Iceland nodded politely, uttering a small hello.

China smiled brightly, "It's nice to meet you aru!" He put his hand on Hong Kong's head, pulling him closer, "And this is my little brother, Hong Kong aru."

Hong Kong bowed politely to the two, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Norway raised his eyebrow, "Well that's impressive…" He glanced down at his brother who was looking up at him questionably, "I can't do that without you whining or shrugging me off."

Iceland frowns, "Then maybe that's a sign saying you shouldn't try." He looked back to the others to see Hong Kong was staring at him. A light blush brushed Iceland's cheeks as he quickly looked away. Why this boy's gaze made Iceland's heart beat faster didn't matter to him, he just didn't want to make eye contact. Norway seemed to notice this and changed the subject, which Iceland was grateful of.

"So, Yao, are you heading home now?" Norway continues.

China smiles nervously, "Sadly, no, I still have an article to finish. Hong Kong is waiting for me today though."

"Oh. Well, why doesn't he just wait with Iceland?" Iceland froze instantly upon hearing his brother's proposal. He would be waiting alone with Hong Kong? Sure, Iceland was curious about the boy but he never had the nerve to talk to him! Iceland took back what he said before about being grateful to Norway…!

China looked at Iceland then back at Norway, "Could he…?"

Norway nodded, "Yeah. Iceland was just going to the library, they can sit together."

China glanced at Hong Kong for a second before replying, "…But Kaoru doesn't really talk too much."

"Neither does Týr; they'll be a perfect match." Norway assured emotionlessly while makes China smile in reply.

"Alright! Hong Kong, go to the library with Iceland. I'll be there in 20 minutes or so, okay?"

"…Sure." He replied somewhat half-heartedly and turns to Iceland, "Shall we?"

"Y-yeah… Sure." Iceland stuttered out. With that reply, Hong Kong nodded and started towards the library. Iceland hurried to follow after Hong Kong with a slight blush on his cheeks, felt like his face was on fire. Norway and China could see it and were smiling about it (though Norway's face appeared blank, he was). Though Iceland couldn't care less about that right now, something more important happened: Hong Kong actually _talked _to him!


	2. Alone in the library

Walking down the hall with Hong Kong was nerve-racking. Iceland was trying to put on his best blank expression but was failing miserably. Though this had been his goal for the last few months; talking to the Hong Konger, it took a lot of strength not to run away. He didn't know why he wanted to talk to him, he just _did_. It was obviously because he wanted to be his friend…right? Well, whatever it is, Iceland would never say it…

"Here we are." Hong Kong's voice brought Iceland out of his thoughts.

"Oh, yeah." Iceland said, replying softly.

Pulling the door open, Hong Kong stepped to the side, "After you."

"…Thank you." Iceland curiously watched the brunette as he passed through the doors. "_Well, that was weird…"_

Hong Kong follows after him, walking further into the library. The walls were covered in bookshelves and created the aisles of books that reminded the Icelandic of a maze. He did spend most of his time at the library, reading but he didn't venture far into the aisles. The library was very large and could match any public library Iceland's ever visited by far. In the middle of the room, near the librarian's desk there were the tables. Iceland glanced to the Hong Konger, who was nonchalantly looking around the room.

"So…where would you like to sit?" he asked.

"The back…" Iceland replied, looking at Hong Kong for a reaction. But he doesn't get one… Hong Kong just nodded, replying with a simple "cool…" before starting forward to the table in the back. So, the silver-haired boy simply brushed it off, following the other.

A few steps before reaching the table, Iceland stopped and turned to Hong Kong, "You're not going to pull out my chair too, are you?"

Hong Kong turned around to him, "What?"

Iceland continued, "I mean…with you trying to be a 'gentleman' and all."

Hong Kong looked at the silver-haired boy for a second, "…Not really."

Iceland tilted his head to the side, "What do you mean 'not really'?"

The brunette shrugged, "Well, I thought about it… But that would just be overkill, no?"

"I guess so…" Iceland concluded.

Hong Kong smirked, "I can still do it if you, like, want."

Iceland grimaced, sitting down, "I'm okay, thanks…" _This guy is definitely weird…_

Hong Kong shrugged, taking his seat across the table, "As you wish."

After the unusual conversation died down, Iceland reached into his bag to take out a book. Once his hand connected with a hard-back surface, he took it out. Iceland looked over it and read the book cover in his head, "_Chemistry"_. Shrugging his shoulders, he opened the book to a random page and started reading.

After a couple minutes of reading, Iceland heard some ruffling sounds from across the table. He looked up to find Hong Kong shuffling through his bag under the table. A notebook with doodles of pandas on the cover sat in front of him. The panda doodles were…pretty cute. They kind of looked like puffins…

Hong Kong rose from looking through his bag with a pencil in hand. Iceland quickly ripped his eyes away from the notebook, back onto his own book. The Icelandic was trying to concentrate on the words in front of him but he could swear he felt Hong Kong staring at him…

And indeed, he was. The brunette had his hand resting on his cheek, blankly staring at him. No trying to hide it, nor trying to be discreet. Just. Blatantly. _Staring._ Iceland didn't know if he was doing this to make him uncomfortable or whatever, but it definitely working. He could feel his hands start to shake and began uncomfortably putting at his white gloves.

Luckily, the brunette seemed to lose interest and started lazily flipping through his notebook. Iceland breathed a sigh of relief and glanced up at the source of his discomfort. Hong Kong is still flipping through the pages of his notebook. Iceland couldn't make out what was on the pages; it all looked like black and white blurs. But when Hong Kong finally stopped flipping and settled on a page, what Iceland saw amazed him.

It was a beautiful picture of fireworks bursting in the night skies above a lake. The fireworks seemed to come alive against the black and white background. Abandoning his quest of trying to peek discreetly, the Icelandic watched in amazement as Hong Kong finished the shading the last bit. In that moment, Iceland let his tongue slip.

"Whoa…"

Hong Kong looked up at Iceland, "Hm?"

"It's beautiful…" Iceland replied, staring at the picture then returning Hong Kong's gaze.

A small smile appeared on Hong Kong's lips, "Thank you."

A pink blush spread across the Icelandic's face while he stuttered, "Y-You're welcome…"

An awkward silence passed then Iceland decided to speak up.

"So…you draw?" As soon as those words escaped his mouth, Iceland was kicking himself. "_Oh great. Real smooth, Týr! You really needed to sound even more like a dumbass…!" _

But much to Iceland's surprise, Hong Kong answered.

"Yeah, I like to draw." He replied.

"Uh, what do you like to draw?"

Hong Kong paused to think for a moment before responding, "Landscapes, fireworks, people…stuff like that."

"You really like fireworks, don't you?" Iceland inquired.

Hong Kong smirked in response, "You could say that…"

Iceland grimaced slightly, "What a… _interesting_ answer."

The brunette leaned back in his chair with that smirk, "From a very interesting person no less."

"Right…"


	3. The beginning

After those first awkward minutes, things started to go smoothly. There was no silence between the two, both were talking and listening to the other with interest. Iceland was quite surprised by this; he's never talked this much to anyone before. And I mean _anyone_…! Even his conversations with Norway were short and to the point. This was different; though it was only mindless small talk, mind you.

"Wow" Iceland said while flipping through Hong Kong's notebook, "You really _do_ like fireworks a lot."

Hong Kong shrugged, leaning on his hand, "Yeah, I guess."

Iceland turned to him, "Why is that?"

Hong Kong lifted his head, looking at Iceland, "Why I like fireworks, you mean?"

"Yes." He inquired.

"Well", Hong Kong began, brushing his long bangs out of his face, "they're bright…vivid…the sound and sight of one exploding is very cool."

Iceland nodded along, "I see…"

"And…" Hong Kong leaned back on his hand with a soft smile, "they're also very beautiful."

At that moment, Iceland felt his breath hitch.A small blush spread over Iceland's face as he looked away. What was that just now…?

"And you?"

"Hm?" Iceland looked back at the Asian, "What?"

"What do you really like?"

"Uh…" Iceland thought for a moment before responding, "I like puffins and…liquorice."

"Puffins?" Hong Kong echoed in a somewhat confused tone.

"Yes."

"Why?"

Iceland paused "…What?"

"Why?" Hong Kong repeated.

"Uh, why would you-?"

"Just repeating the questions you asked before."

"Oh, I see…"_ Touché, Hong Kong…_

"Well" Iceland continued, "I like them because…" he thought for a moment before shrugging, "because they're….cute."

Hong Kong raised his eyebrows, "Because they're cute?"

Iceland narrowed his eyes in confusion of his own answer, looking down at his lap, "Yeah…"

The Asian shrugged lightly before grabbing his pencil, asking "And what does this 'cute puffin' look like?"

Iceland looked back up, "It's a black and white bird with an orange beak…"

Hong Kong turned to a blank page in his notebook, "Is it a large bird?"

"Not really. It's about 30 centimetres tall."

Sketching on the paper, Hong Kong asked, "It has a big orange beak, right?"

"Uh, yeah…" Iceland watched the brunette's hand, "Why do you ask…?"

"One moment…"

Hong Kong continued sketching for a minute or two before stopping and holding up the book to Iceland's face.

"Ta-dah." He proclaimed dully, slightly amused with the look on the Icelandic's face. His eyes were wide and sparkling with admiration and his mouth was formed in a 'o' shape. And he thought puffins were cuter than _that_? Hong Kong would disagree…

"It-It looks so real…" Iceland said, recovering from the after-shock.

Hong Kong swiftly ripped out the paper from the book and hands it to Iceland, "Here."

Iceland slowly took the paper and blinked, "What?"

"You can have it, it's yours." Hong Kong repeated.

A gracious smile blossomed on Iceland's face, "Thank you."

Hong Kong nodded, mirroring the same smile. He watched Iceland look down at his drawing and… frown? A soft cough from the Icelandic caught Hong Kong's attention. He looked up and saw Iceland looking at him with cheeks dusted red.

"Um…" he began nervously, cheeks still red and eyebrows twitching in annoyance and embarrassment, "C-Could you also draw a bowtie?"

…_What?_

"Uh, I'm sorry?" Hong Kong replied, slightly confused.

Iceland puts down the drawing in front of him and shyly points to the puffin's neck, averting his gaze, "Could you draw a bowtie on its neck?"

Hong Kong looked at Iceland for a second before pulling the paper closer, "…Yeah, sure."

After he erased and started to redraw a bowtie, Hong Kong spoke up again.

"So you sure have a love for bowties, don't you?"

Iceland shrugged, watching Hong Kong draw, "I guess…"

Hong Kong raised his eyebrow sceptically, "…You're really good at giving straight-forward answers, aren't you?"

"…Are you trying to be funny?"

"Well, is it working?"

The Icelandic narrowed his eyes, replying in an unpleasant tone, "No."

Hong Kong looked back down, resuming drawing, "Then not at all."

Iceland's accusing gaze stayed on Hong Kong for a while, watching the brunette carefully.

'_Maybe this guy is more trouble than I thought he'd be…'_ crossed his mind.

Trouble, huh? Well, that's not entirely true; Iceland wasn't expecting anything of Hong Kong. Hell, Iceland didn't except to be sitting here talking to him _at all! _The thought of this whole thing alone would have made Iceland's head spin a few months ago. But Hong Kong seems like an okay guy, he's polite (for the most part so far…) and seems to enjoy Iceland's company. _So maybe…?_

"Iceland."

Iceland turned his head to the familiar voice. Norway standing in front of their table, holding his message bag on his shoulder.

The Icelandic quickly stood up, "H-Hi." _I didn't see him, how did he just get there?_

"I'm done, are you ready to go?" Norway asked blankly, nodding to the Asian seated at the table who nodded back.

"Uh, yeah." Iceland said, lifting his bag on the table to place his book back inside, "Give me a minute."

"Okay." Norway replied, slowly looking at the bookshelves around the room.

Iceland turned back to the brunette still seated at the table, "Well, it was nice to meet you. And uh…"

"And I'll see you tomorrow." Hong Kong finished, handing Iceland the drawing. "Here."

Iceland blushed slightly, "Yeah, see you tomorrow…"

Iceland reached for the paper in Hong Kong's hand. When his hand made contact with it, he glanced up to see Hong Kong looking back. Iceland broke eye contact, quickly standing back up straight quite stiffly and letting out a small nervous cough. This action made Hong Kong laugh under his breath.

"So, uh... Bye." Iceland murmured, looking down, clutching the paper tightly in his hands.

"Bye." Hong Kong cooed, tossing a small wink at the Icelandic. This action made Iceland's face flush red in an instant before taking his leave. Hong Kong watched in amusement as Iceland scurried over the older Nordic, face still somewhat flushed.

Norway turned to look at this brother, "You're ready?"

"Yeah, all set…" Iceland replied, folding the paper in half. Then they started walking out of the library, down the hall and outside the school. Things were silent until Norway decided to interrupt.

"Did you two get along?"

"…." _Dammit! _Iceland could feel the blush coming back, remembering the latest incident. "…Yeah."

Norway raised his eyebrow, "So you two…talked?"

Iceland looked to the side, gripping the paper in his hand, "Yeah. He's a…nice guy…"

* * *

**Thank you for reading! Reviews = love~!3 **


	4. Shitty mornings

The next morning, things occurred as usual. The rays of sun peeking through Iceland's blinds and the annoying ringing of his alarm clock woke him from his slumber. Iceland slammed his hand down on the snooze button and lazily rolled over to conformable settle back into his dream world of liquorice and puffins. But one moment too soon, Norway walked in and shook him awake.

"Iceland, it's time to get up."

"Ugh…" Iceland turns over to look at the older Nordic before putting the covers over his head, "Five more minutes…"

"No, I'm not waiting. It's time to get up _now._" Norway repeated.

"Get out of my room then." Iceland replied, rolling over.

Norway sighed, "Do I have to _pull_ you out of bed?"

"…Maybe you will."

"God, you're such a child..."

Iceland sat up quickly, flinging the cover off his head, "I am NOT a child! You're just annoying!"

Norway rolled his eyes, "Yeah, sure. Anyways, now that you're up, you can-"

Iceland lies back down, covering his head again, "No, go away."

"I'll pull the sheets off."

Iceland popped his head out to glare at his brother, "….You wouldn't."

Norway smirks slightly, "Oh, I think I would."

Iceland squinted his eyes, incensing his gaze, "…You wouldn't dare."

Norway lends down a little to stare back, "Try me. Or would you rather me get the bucket?"

Iceland cringed slightly at the thought of the cold water that filled his brother's beloved bucket; the water that he threw on Iceland whenever he overslept. No amount of sleep was worth the cruel fate you faced with the bucket…

After a five minutes of glaring, cover pulling and a few sly threats courtesy of Norway, Iceland finally and very reluctantly got up and walked to the bathroom. He showered, got dressed and went downstairs. Norway was seated at the table with a cup of coffee, reading the newspaper. His dark blue eyes lifted off the paper and watched his brother lazily shuffle to the table.

"Morning..."

"Good morning…" Norway got up, walking over to the counter, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just tired..." Iceland replied, burying his face in his hands.

Norway walked back to the table, placing a cup of tea in front of him, "Is it so hard to wake up in the morning?"

Iceland looks up at him, squinting in slight irritation, "It is when your head feels like its gotten trampled-" The Icelandic paused, holding the Norwegian's blank gaze before finishing with a dark, disdainful voice, "by an army of trolls…"

Norway patted the teen's back sympathetically, "…Ouch."

Iceland looked up again, "Thanks… Thanks for that…"

Norway shrugged before returning to his seat, taking a sip of coffee, "Don't worry, it will get better."

The Icelandic mumbled through his sleeves, "Oh joy…"

* * *

Walking to school is never fun but walking to school with a slight buzzing in your head is even _worse. _Norway and Iceland were silent as they walked to school. The rumble of the car engines passing by and the tapping of their shoe on the pavement filled the crisp autumn air. Turning the corner, they saw the school buildings coming into sight. A few students were standing outside in front, some walking inside the school in pairs, talking. Iceland couldn't hear anything other than the slight buzzing of chatter. Good, it was still slightly-

"HEY GUYS!"

…_**quiet**__. _Wow, the universe just loves to prove me wrong, don't it?

Iceland and Norway turned around to see the loud, happy-go-lucky Dane come running towards them. Denmark skid to a halt before giving the two a huge smile.

"Good morning, Norge~!"

"Morning." Norway replied as monotone as always. The Dane slipped an arm over the Nordic's shoulder, looking to the Icelandic.

Iceland cringed inwardly when Denmark's eyes settled on him, before uttering a low begrudged "Good morning…"

"Hey, Ice!" Denmark chirped before roughly ruffling Iceland's silver hair, "How are you today~?"

Iceland looked up, replying through clenched teeth, "I'm fine… Please get your hand off my head."

Denmark removed his hand, "Whoa, what's got him in such a grumpy mood?"

"He has a headache." Norway replied, prying Denmark's arm off his shoulder.

"Oh…" the Dane smiled a small apologetic smile, "Sorry."

Iceland pinched the bridge of his nose, "It's alright… I'm going to class now."

"Okay, see you at the break!" Denmark called after the retreating Icelandic, waving excitedly.

Iceland waved a small wave back and continued to walk towards the school and through the entrance. He was about 10 minutes early and his first class was Biology. The teacher was usually late but the class was almost always open so Iceland could always slip inside and rest a little before the rest of the class came. So he walked to the Biology classroom, opened the door and slipped right in. Everything went as normal and with ease; this was a normal occurrence for Iceland. But what he didn't expect was someone to be there, but more importantly _who_ was there…

"Hong Kong…"

* * *

**Author's note: Sorry for a short chapter but I knew if I didn't update anything soon, people would stop reading...^^; Hopefully this is enough to hold you over until next time. Thanks for reading and as always, reviews = love!3**


	5. Classroom daydreams

Iceland walked forward in the dim room towards Hong Kong, "Uh…hey?"

No response. Iceland squatted down beside the desk, looking closer to see the brunette's face. His head was down, lying on top of his folded arms. His chocolate brown bangs lay over his eyes but you could see that they were closed; his back rose and fell, letting out slow, calm breaths.

"_So he's asleep, huh…?"_ Iceland thought, looking closer at the sleeping nation. His long black eyelashes rested against his cheeks, fluttering ever so slightly as he gently shifts in his sleep. They looked…_beautiful. _Iceland stepped back, trying to shake off the heat he can feel coming to his cheeks.

"_What is wrong with me today?" _Iceland shook his head, dismissing his thoughts, eyes settling on the empty seat next to the sleeping Hong Konger.

"Well…I always sit there so, it wouldn't be weird if I sit there now, right?" he mutters to himself. Agreeing that his logic deemed fit, Iceland continued to put his bag on the table and take his place. Giving the brunette one last glance, Iceland started staring out the window.

The scenery outside was nothing special; just a few trees lining one of the many paths leading to the front entrance. A few students walking in groups passed by, chatting as they made their slow journey towards school. Iceland found a couple of familiar faces in the people passing by but his focus was more on their feet. Iceland watched dreamily as the student's feet stepped over the brown, dead leaves; it was almost hypnotic. Though the glass didn't let in any more than the ghostly sound of the soft wind outside; the Nordic could hear the audible **crunch** of the leaves below. He watched somewhat absentmindedly as the leaves crushed beneath their feet and turned into a powdery brown dust, simply disappearing into the blowing wind…

But when Iceland heard Hong Kong shift again, he was broken from his trance. Looking back, Iceland saw his dark brown eyes flicker open. Hong Kong lazily lifted his head, raising his hand to rub sleep out of his foggy eyes. Hong Kong blinked a few times, clearing his vision before his eyes settled on the Icelandic beside him.

"Oh, Iceland…" Hong Kong mumbled, giving a small yawn, "Good morning…"

"Good morning."

"How long have you been here?" Hong Kong asked, absentmindedly combing his fingers through his bangs.

Iceland shrugged, "About five minutes…" He checked his watch, 3 minutes left until class starts.

Hong Kong nodded along, "Oh, okay…"

"So how was your nap?" Iceland asked, monotone.

"It was fine… I'm still tired though…"

Iceland could only sigh, face down at his desk, "Yeah, me too…"

Hong Kong unsteadily leaned his face on his hand, "I take it you're not a morning person, huh?"

Iceland turned his head, looking at Hong Kong dully, "I could say the same thing about you…"

Iceland could see a faint smirk grace Hong Kong's lips before he buried his face in his arms, mumbling into his sleeves, "Indeed…"

Iceland couldn't help smile a bit at this. Maybe today wasn't going to be as bad as he thought.

* * *

After a few minutes, the class started to fill out. At the very last minute, just before the bell rang, the Biology teacher rushed into the classroom with a messy stack of books in hand. In such a rush that he accidentally slammed the door shut, sending a ringing through the class. Everyone looked up, oddly sending the teacher into a panic, apologizing about being late. After that, everything returned to normal. Students took their seats and the class began. The class went pretty easy; the teacher explained a few things, wrote some stuff on the board and handed out an assignment. Once Iceland finished copying down what was on the board, he looked over the paper the teacher handed out. There were about 10 questions and Iceland figured after a few minutes of searching in his textbook, he could answer them simply enough. Too bad he didn't have the will to…

The teacher started to go through the questions with the class and that's when Iceland decided to zone out. Usually, Iceland would just start out the window or look around the classroom. But as of late, Iceland has been focusing his attention on something…_else._

He turns his head to the teen beside, scribing in his notebook. Yes, this boy has been the thing Iceland's been staring at for the last few months. He hasn't been _intentionally_ staring at him; his eyes just seem to…_shift_ towards the Asian nation. But Iceland was inno way "_checking Hong Kong out"…!_ No, no **definitely **not! Hong Kong just caught his eye so…it couldn't be helped.

"_Yeah…it can't be helped…"_

Hanging his head in shame, Iceland just gave up. Whatever the reason, it definitely didn't need to be solved today. No reason why it couldn't be saved for another day, right? The problem right now is that the person Iceland usually stares at is sitting right next to him!

You ever got stared at by someone sitting right next to you? It's fucking _creepy_! Yet there he was, watching Hong Kong from the corner of his eye. He knew it was weird and stalker-y but he just couldn't stop it…! But when every fibre in your being is yelling at you to turn away, that doesn't really help, does it? So at this point, the only thing to do is stand there, like a deer in headlights…

Then the bell rang, ending the teacher's lecture but keeping Iceland in his trance-like state. He watched mindlessly as students got up and gathered their things, heading towards their next class. Only when he saw Hong Kong's hand waving in front of his face, did Iceland look up. He saw Hong Kong's lips move, saying something but he couldn't hear.

"I'm sorry, what?" Iceland said, blinking once.

"I said, what's your next lesson?"

"Oh, uh…"Iceland rumbled through his pocket, pulling out his schedule and take a look at it, "…Chemistry. You?" he replied look up.

"I have Physics."

"Oh." Iceland could feel a wave of sadness wash over him, looking down, mumbling, "Too bad…"

"No worries." Hong Kong replied, swinging the strap of his message bag over his shoulder, "I'll see you later, okay?" Iceland could help but feel a little fluttering (or whatever you call it) in his chest, looking back up with a surprised look on his face.

"Uh… yeah."

Hong Kong nodded and gave the Nordic a small smile before turning to walk towards the door. Iceland just sat there in awe as he watched the Asian nation walked out the room, giving him one last glance and a small wave from over his shoulder.

Iceland sat there for a minute before realising he had to go to class. Quickly putting his books in his bag, he briefly wonders why suddenly there's an empty feeling in the room before hurrying off to class.

* * *

**Author's note: Ahh, Iceland, you're so clueless~! Anyways, thank you for reading! Remember reviews = love~! *whispers* And faster updates~! Haha, just kidding. ...Or am I~?+w+ **


	6. Mixed feelings

As expected, Chemistry went by painfully slow for Iceland. And he had two back-to-back classes of it…_wonderful._ Usually Iceland didn't mind it but today was different. He couldn't help his hands slightly fidgeting underneath his desk, waiting and watching the clock.

He just wanted to go see Hong Kong already! I mean this is his first _real_ friend. It's only natural to want to talk to a friend, right? Iceland looked back up at the clock.

Five more minutes…

**Wait**…they _are_ friends, right? At this thought, Iceland felt his whole body freeze.

_We are, aren't we? I mean we technically just started talking yesterday but…_

The bell rang, signalling the end of class and the beginning of break. The moment Iceland has been anxiously waiting for and now only one thought is lingering in his mind.

_I don't want to see him..._

* * *

Walking down the hallway to his locker, Iceland kept an eye out for the Asian nation. Before passing around a corner or a classroom, the Icelandic checked his surrounding thoroughly. He didn't want to bump into Hong Kong; he's sure he'll ask him that question…

"_Are we friends?" _

Yes, Iceland is quite anti-social but he knows that no one asks that kind of question! It will make Hong Kong think he's clingy or weird. It certainly doesn't help that Iceland stares at him in class…

Iceland sighed, hanging his head in defeat and closing the door of his locker.

'_Well, there goes a chance of me ever having a friend…'_

Shuffling down the hallway and outside, Iceland dejectedly walks past the groups of students, hanging outside the main entrance.

_Damn all those cocky bastards for being able to have a healthy relationship with someone other than their families…!_

Iceland sighed, "Yup... Spoken like true lonely person…"

Giving up, Iceland walked around to the back of the school. There are a few benches behind the school that no one ever goes there; Iceland could wait out the break back there. It was kind of like his secret base…you know, without the laser beams and stuff…

But when he walked around the corner, he saw that he was far from alone. Before he could even question the fact that someone else was here; realisation struck hard. He could feel his heart drop when his eyes settled on a familiar dark brown mop of hair sitting on the bench. The same mop of hair he has been staring at earlier…_in class_**.**

"_Oh, hell __**no…!**__"_

Iceland froze in place, hoping Hong Kong hasn't seen him. Luckily, the Asian didn't seem to notice him, remaining still. Iceland let out a breath, slightly relieved.

"_All I have to do", Iceland thought as he took a step back, "is slowly…step…back. Just keep walking…nothing could go-"_

Iceland felt himself back into something solid. Looking up to see who he bumped into, Iceland's face drained of all colour. Oh god…not **him**…!

"Hey, Ice~!" Denmark's voice echoed through Iceland's ears and sent a chilling tremble down his spine, seeping into his bones.

Yup, he was officially **screwed**…

* * *

"Denmark, what are you guys doing here?" The Icelandic hissed as calmly as he could at the Danish giant.

"Me and Norge saw you walking back here and thought we'd follow after!"

"Yeah, great but as you can, I was just about to leave so-"

"Why are you so eager to leave?" Norway asked, narrowing his eyes at the Icelandic, peering at him sceptically.

Iceland's heart dropped, _'Fuck, he knows…!'_

"I-I'm not _eager_, I'm just…-"

"Hey Ice," the Dane interjected, "Who's that guy?"

Iceland spun around to see Denmark crouched down, looking around the corner. Curiosity was clear in the Dane's voice; he knew he couldn't get out of this one. So he did the one thing he could do; he feigned ignorance.

"Uh…wh-who?"

Denmark turned to Iceland, still pointing, "**Him.** That guy on the bench."

Norway looked over to where Denmark was pointing, "Oh, him…"

Denmark looked up at the Norwegian curiously, "You know him?"

"Yeah, we met him yesterday; that's Ice's new friend."

"REALLY?" Denmark whipped his head back to the Icelandic, eyes sparkling in excitement.

Iceland looked down at his feet, "Uh…well…-"

Before Iceland could finish explaining the situation, Denmark swept the Icelandic off the ground, giving him a bone-crushing hug.

"I'M SO PROUD OF YOU, ICEY~!" Denmark wailed, spinning him in a circle.

"Denmark, stop; you're going to kill him." Norway said, prying a dizzy, limp Iceland from the Dane's hands.

"Why didn't you two tell me sooner?"

"Like I said, we met him yesterday, dumbass."

"Well, I want to meet him too!" Denmark whined, "He has yet to get my approval!"

"What approval?" Norway and Iceland asked in unison.

"We need to know if this guy is good for Ice!"

Norway sighed, "Denmark, he made a friend; he's not getting married."

The Dane pouted, "Yeah, but-!"

"But?"

"…I still want to meet him!" Denmark pouted, stomping his foot like a child would. He turned to Iceland, whining, "It's not fair! Nor got to; I should get to too!"

"Well, it wasn't exactly my _choice_…" The Icelandic mumbled.

Denmark gasped, "Does that mean I can meet him~?"

Iceland cringed as the Dane watched him; waiting for his answer with sparkles gleaming in his eyes, "Uh, well…-"

"Alright, let's go~!" Before Iceland could protest, Denmark grabbed his wrist and started dragging him around the corner.

"Denmark, let go of me!" Iceland cried, trying to pry the Dane's hand off of him. He looked back at his brother for help but Norway is straight faced as usual.

This was happening, whether Iceland wanted it or not. All he could do now is shut his eyes and wait to be dragged around that corner…

"Aww!"

Iceland's eyes snapped open to look at the Dane, "…What is it?"

Denmark looked down at him, pouting, "He's not here anymore…"

Iceland looked over at the bench and let out a sigh of relief, _'Thank god…!'_

"I really wanted to meet him…"

"Yes, well, as you can see, he's not here anymore. Now can you let go of me?" Iceland snatched his hand away from Denmark and began walking away.

"Hey, where are you going?" Denmark called after him.

"To class!" Iceland replied.

"What? But the bell hasn't even-!"

_BBBBBBBRRRRRRRIIIIIIINGGGGG!_

"Yes, it has!" Iceland yelled back.

Norway smirked in amusement, _"Touché, brother…"_


	7. Anti-social logic

Brisk fully walking away from Denmark and Norway, Iceland let out the breath he didn't even know he was holding.

"That was close…" he whispered to himself. '_They almost met him…'_

Well…Iceland didn't really mind Norway meeting Hong Kong (again) but him meeting _Denmark_; that's a **whole** different story. Okay, let's get one thing straight; Denmark is really **annoying**…! He's really loud, hard-headed and stubborn. And, to Iceland's confusion, he's weirdly protective of him. So, trying to keep Hong Kong away from that type of person isn't being ashamed or embarrassed of his 'family'; it was just being considerate!

'_Yeah…considerate…'_ Pulling out his schedule, Iceland checked where and what his next class was.

'_English...'_ He thought, _'Not bad.'_

Working his way through the crowd and walking up a flight or two of stairs, Iceland arrived at his destination. Walking into the classroom, he saw that the majority of the students were already there. He walked to the back of the class and sat by the window. Taking out his books from his bag, his eyes moved to the clock.

Iceland sighed, setting his bag under his desk, 'Why can't today just be over already…'

"Hey."

Iceland looked up from under his desk to the all too familiar voice of none other than _Hong Kong. 'Yeah, of course it would be him…'_

"H-Hi…" The Icelandic replied.

"…Would you mind if I sit here?"

"Oh, no, not at all…"

After the Hong Konger sat down, things became eerily quiet between the two. Both sat faced forward, staring awkwardly ahead of them rather than each other.

But after a while, Hong Kong finally took a breath and turned to the Icelandic, "So um-!"

"Alright class!" The English teacher exclaimed, walking into the room; high heels clicking against the classroom floor. "Everyone, take your seats and open your textbooks please."

Hong Kong turned back to his desk and flipped open his books.

Iceland breath out in relief, _'That was close…'_

Who knew avoiding talking to someone was so hard? Iceland didn't really want to but to keeps Hong Kong from thinking he wasn't a weirdo; Iceland had no choice but to keep his distance…

'_Ugh…Why do I have to be so awkward?!'_ Iceland groaned in his head.

This was going to be a dreadful day…

* * *

Iceland couldn't have been more right; the more his day progressed, the shittier it got. Iceland had been avoiding Hong Kong for five classes straight so by the time the second break rolled around, he was exhausted. Sitting in the only class Hong Kong didn't have with him, Iceland started thinking over his 'master plan' from before.

'Avoiding someone to make sure you stay friends'? That was the worst idea he could have of! How does that possible make you get closer to someone?! All it really does is push them away. But it was too late now. The damage was done and by now, Hong Kong must have hated him…

As much as Iceland wanted to blame someone else for being so anti-social and weird, Iceland knew he did it to himself. No one had told him to run away and act cold towards the Asian, Iceland's stupid illogical thinking did it.

'_There's no one to blame by myself…'_ Iceland thought, sighing and burying his face in his folded arms.

The bell rang, ending the class and Iceland's school day.

'_I'm just going to go home and sulk…'_ he thought as he slowly gathered his things and walked out of the class.

Turning around the corner to the Newspaper club, Iceland saw Hong Kong standing there, leaning against the wall. His messenger bag sitting by his feet and his eyes fixed on staring out the window.

Iceland stopped at first but then started walking forward again.

'_That's right, universe. Rub it in even more, I deserve it…' _

Upon hearing the oncoming footsteps, Hong Kong looked up.

"Oh. Hello, Iceland."

Iceland froze. Wait…Hong Kong was… _talking to him?_

"H-Hi, Hong Kong" Iceland replied, slowing down to talk, "Waiting for China again?"

"Yeah, now until Friday."

Iceland raised his eyebrow, "Why until Friday?"

"I lost a bet. Now my so-called 'punishment' is to walk home with China for a week."

"Oh, I see…"

"And you?" The Hong Konger asked, "Did you lose a bet and are waiting here against your will?"

"Lost a bet, no. Waiting here against my will, yes. My brother always makes me walk home with him."

"Always?" Hong Kong repeated.

"Yes, every single day sadly."

"So…where do you usually hang out while waiting for your brother?" The Hong Konger asked, curiosity lingering in his voice.

Iceland shrugged, "The library. It's the best place to sit down and kill time."

"I see… So… if I can't find you, you'd be in the library?"

"Uh.. yeah, most likely." Iceland narrowed his eyes in confusion, "Why do you ask?"

Hong Kong shrugged and smiled a little, "Just wanted to know."

There it was; that feeling Iceland felt whenever he saw the brunette smile. It felt like his heart skipped a beat or just stopped for a second.

Iceland was starting to wonder if he had a heart arrhythmia…

"Ah, Kaoru."

Hong Kong and Iceland turned to see China standing in the doorway of the Newspaper club with his school bag.

"Oh, Iceland, it's nice to see you aru."

Iceland gave a quiet nod, looking at the two.

"So, what were you two doing aru?"

"Talking." Hong Kong said casually.

China's eyes widened, "Really?!"

Both Hong Kong and Iceland raised their eyebrows in slight confusion.

"Yeah… So, you're done now?" the brunette asked.

"Huh? Oh uh…no. No, I'm not aru."

"Then why do you have your bag with you?"

"Oh, I uh…have to do some research in the uh…outside aru!"

Hong Kong narrowed his eyes, "…'the outside'?"

"Okay, I'm going to go now aru. You two keep talking aru! Go to the library again aru~!" China called back, somewhat prancing down the hall.

Hong Kong and Iceland watched in confusion as the Chinese nation left.

…_What the hell?_

"Wow…"

Iceland looked beside him to see Hong Kong lightly shaking his head with a smile on his face.

"I knew he was desperate but honestly… He's not very discreet."

"Uh, what exactly happened just now?" Iceland asked slowly.

"Nothing, he's just being silly…"

Iceland waited for further explanation which eventually Hong Kong caved in and gave.

"My brother thinks I'm too much of a shut-in so, he practically jumps at any opportunity of me getting to know someone and becoming friends." Hong Kong explained, "This is just his way of achieving it; acting super weird and confusing people."

"So does that mean-?" Iceland stopped mid-way; he didn't want to finish that sentence.

"Hm?" the Hong Konger looked up at him, "Does what?"

"Does that…uh-"

'_No, Týr, please don't do this! He somehow forgave you for acting like a jackass and avoiding him all day; do not ruin it by asking stupid, clingy questions!'_

"Does that…-" Iceland trailed off again, looking down.

Hong Kong titled his head, looking at the Icelandic, "Yes?"

"… Are we friends?"

Iceland didn't mean to say it but it just came out. Iceland watched in nervous anticipation as he saw Hong Kong's look of confusion turn to a look of slight shock and then, much to Iceland's surprise, a look of amusement.

"Well, what a peculiar question… I don't know, are we?"

"…I think we are…" Iceland replied softly, making Hong Kong laugh under his breath.

"Good, I'd hope so."

* * *

**Author's note: I'm so sorry this took so so long to update!T^T I'd like to make up a really good excuse right now but the truth is I got bored and forgot about the story. ****Thank you everyone who favourited and followed this story! I love you all and it really boosts my confindence of my writing skills. :) I'll start writting the 8th chapter right away!  
**

**As always, thank you for reading and reviews = love~!  
**


	8. Mind in over-drive

The rest of the week went by in a pleasant blur. Iceland's days were spent talking with Hong Kong in class, in the breaks and after school. He slowly started learning bits and pieces about the quiet Asian nation and in turn, sharing things about himself.

After getting the answer to the haunting question he wanted, Iceland could finally calm down. He knew what sort of relationship they had; now he could act accordingly to it. To most people that might seem a bit planned or strange but to Iceland, it was liberating. Now he could finally breathe and just enjoy the time he spent with his new friend.

Or at least that's what he thought…

Iceland sighed, lying face first on his pillow, _'It's over…'_

It was Saturday and starting next week, Hong Kong would no longer hang out with him after school. Hong Kong didn't have to wait for China anymore which meant he had no reason to stay after school. And that left Iceland sitting alone once again. Sure he would still be there in class or at the breaks but it still felt like a loss in Iceland's eyes…

'_Don't be ridiculous, he'll still be there!' _Iceland's mind encouraged, _'There's no need to sulk...'_

"Yes, there is…" Iceland mumbled.

'_No, there isn't. You don't need to be with him all the time you know.'_

Iceland lifted his head from the pillow, pouting slightly, "I know that…"

'_If you did then you wouldn't be acting like this.'_

Iceland frowned, "Oh, shut up!"

'_Hey, I'm just speaking the truth here.'_

Iceland slumped, hugging his pillow, "Yeah, well, I didn't ask you to-!"

"What are you doing?"

Iceland turned his head to see Norway standing in his bedroom doorway with two mugs in his hands.

"…Nothing."

Norway raised an eyebrow, "Were you just talking to yourself?"

"…Maybe."

Norway shook his head, walking further into Iceland's room, "You really need to go outside more…"

"What do you want, Lukas?" Iceland asked, plopping his head back into his pillow.

"I made you some hot chocolate." He replied, holding out the mug for him to take.

Iceland peeked out from his pillow to stare at his brother untrustingly, "…Why?"

Norway simply shrugged, "I wanted it and you would whine if I didn't make it for you as well."

Iceland whipped his head back up, "Oh c'mon, I only did that once! And I was 5 at the time!"

"Just take the mug, Týr."

Iceland sat up cross-legged and took the mug offered to him, "…Thank you."

Norway nodded, taking a seat on the corner of Iceland's bed. Iceland watched his brother sceptically as he gently blew on and took a sip of his drink.

"So" Norway began, sipping his drink, "What's wrong?"

"What are you talking about?" Iceland asked, passively staring into his mug.

"You've locked yourself in your room and are sitting here, mumbling to yourself; I assume something is wrong."

"And how is this any different from what I usually do?" Iceland replied calmly, taking another sip of his hot chocolate.

"Because usually you're reading, not sulking into your pillow." Norway replied back, equally as calm.

'_Dammit…' _Iceland's eyebrow twitched slightly as he lowered his mug and looked back at his brother's steady gaze. _'He picks up on things way too fast…'_

"…So?" Iceland asked, a hint of nonchalance and aggravation present in his voice, "What's your point, Lukas?"

Norway shrugged, "I have no point, I am simply asking you a question. It's you who is making this difficult, Týr."

Iceland stood up quickly, placing his mug on his nightstand, "There's nothing to talk about. So why don't you just drop it."

After a few moments of silence, Iceland glanced back to see his brother's eyes still steady on his turned form. A few more moments passed before Norway spoke again.

"…This is about China's little brother, Hong Kong, isn't it?"

Iceland froze.

'_Shit…! How did he figure that out?' _

"…So it is." Norway concluded, letting out a small sigh, "You know I heard about the bet that was going on between the two of them."

Iceland glanced back curiously to see Norway looking straight into his eyes.

"Are you sulking because he won't be there after school anymore?"

Iceland's eyebrows twitched, _'Why does he have to be so fucking spot-on with these things…!'_

Norway sighed, shutting his eyes, "Honestly, Týr… sometimes you think too much…"

"I hardly think you are in _any_ position to lecture me about over-thinking things…" Iceland mumbled, plopping back down onto his bed face first.

"You know you can just ask him to stay with you, right?" Norway continued; seemly ignoring Iceland's last comment and glancing back at the sulking nation, "It's not unusual to ask that of someone, Týr."

"…But how exactly am I supposed to ask something like that without making me sound clingy?" Iceland asked, lifting his face up from the bed.

Norway placed a hand on top of Iceland's head, "You'll find a way."

Iceland let his face fall back into the mattress and groaned, "It's going to be a long, _long_ week…"

* * *

By the time Monday rolled around, Iceland was more than dreading going back to school. He had spent his entire weekend thinking about what to do with this whole 'after-school situation' with Hong Kong. No matter how many times he tried to push it out of his head, it always found a way to creep back into his thoughts. His mind was turning into a jumble of insecurities and constant replays of the worst case scenario. Between the vicious inner discussion and lack of sleep (due to said inner discussion), Iceland was a total mess.

Walking to school with Norway, the Icelandic felt like a zombie; mindlessly stumbling forward, feeling an uncomfortable mix of light yet heavy-headed. Norway asked multiple times if he was okay but Iceland would simply brush it off with a simple "I'm fine…just tired." As much as he didn't want to go to school, Iceland knew that staying home with his thoughts would be ten times worse…

'_I just need to get to school first then I can sit down.' _He thought.

When the two got to school, Iceland headed straight inside. He caught Norway saying something about if he needs something to call him but Iceland didn't really pay attention; all he wanted was to get to the classroom.

Luckily for him, he had Biology so that meant the classroom would be open. And since he arrived 20 minutes early, Iceland had time to take a nap before class started. That is… if Hong Kong wasn't there…

Sliding the Biology room door slightly open, Iceland peeked inside to see if anyone was there. Seeing that he was alone, Iceland opened the door fully, stepped inside and shut the door. Strolling over to his usual spot, he flung his bag onto the table and plopped into his seat. Shutting his eyes and snuggling his face into his sweater sleeves, Iceland fell into some well-deserved sleep.


	9. Lost and dazed

Like a lot of people, Iceland didn't like not knowing where he was. He also wasn't very fond of surprises. So when he woke up, it wouldn't be an understatement to say that he was less than thrilled about the situation. But, c'mon, who wouldn't be happy about waking up in a strange room?

'_Where am I?'_ Iceland thought, sitting up in the bed and rubbing his eyes.

Just as that sentence finished passing through his mind, he heard a click and a creaking opening of a door.

"Ah, you're awake." Turning his head, Iceland saw Hong Kong walking calmly into the room, "Are you alright?"

"Uh, y-yeah… I'm fine but-" Iceland began, looking around the room in bewilderment, "…Where are we?"

"The nurse's office." Hong Kong replied, sitting down in the chair by Iceland's bed.

"…Why, may I ask?" Iceland enquired.

Hong Kong raised an eyebrow; giving the Icelandic a slightly quizzical look, "Because you were so tired that you could hardly stand; as well as running quite a temperature."

Iceland blinked, "I was?"

The Hong Konger nodded.

'_Strange, I don't remember anything…' _Iceland thought, looking down in thought.

"Wait, what time is it?" Iceland asked, looking back at his friend.

Pushing back his sleeve, Hong Kong checked his watch, "It is…4:35."

Iceland's eye widen, "…_What?_"

"It's 4:35." Hong Kong repeated, looking at his watch, "Ah. 4:36 now…"

"I missed the _entire_ day of school?!" Iceland asked/exclaimed.

The Asian shrugged, "In your defence, it was a short day…"

Iceland sighed; face palming himself, _"Just perfect…!"_

Hong Kong paused, "…Is it that bad?"

"Huh…?" The Icelandic looked up, waiting for the other boy to continue.

"Are you so worried about not attending class?"

Iceland blinked, "No…not really."

"Is it the teachers?"

"…No."

Hong Kong tilted his head, swiping his long chocolate bangs out of his dark brown eyes; making Iceland blush and look down at his hands.

"Then why?" Hong Kong asked.

"I-I'm just thinking it seems pointless." Iceland said, trying to focus on something besides Hong Kong's face, "Walking all the way to school just to end up sleeping in the nurse's office; I could've just stayed home."

The boy nodded, "That's understandable. I thought you were worried about homework or something."

Iceland raised an eyebrow, "Should I be?"

Hong Kong closed his eyes and shook his head, "No, we didn't get any homework today, just wrote a few notes."

"Oh…that's good." Iceland replied absentmindedly, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

Hong Kong smiled a little at this, "I'll lend you my notebook later but for now, go back to sleep."

Iceland paused for a moment before nodding and lying back in the bed, snuggling deeper into the warm covers.

'_Might as well, I am tired…' _

* * *

After Iceland's nap, the two boys started walking to the Newspaper club. With a little wobble in his step, Iceland proceeded to softly rub his eyes.

"Are you okay?" Hong Kong asked, leaning forward to get a clearer view of the Icelandic's face.

"Yeah, I feel fine actually." Iceland said, rubbing his eyes one last time and blinking his vision clear, "It's just takes a while transitioning from in bed to walking, that's all." He turned and gave Hong Kong a smile, "I'm fine, really. But thank you for your concern."

Hong Kong blinked as a light pink blush spread across his face, "N-No problem…" he stuttered back, looking to the side.

"Iceland."

The two turned to see Norway, standing in front of the club room that was further ahead.

"Well, I guess it's time for me to go now." Iceland said, turning back to the Hong Konger.

He nodded then reached into his bag and pulled out a notebook, "Here, the notes I promised."

The Icelandic smiled softly and took it, "Thanks. And thank you for everything you've done today."

Hong Kong slowly returned said smile, small pink blush still adorning his cheeks, "You're welcome. I'll…I'll see you tomorrow."

Iceland nodded, "Until tomorrow. Good bye." Giving a small wave, he turned and walked towards Norway.

"Ready?" Norway asked, a small smirk present on his lips.

Iceland ignored this and responded back casually, "Yeah."

They started walking down the hallway, away from Hong Kong.

"I told you~" Norway softly sing-songed in monotone, a spark of victory clear in his dark blue eyes, "I said you overthink things too much, didn't I?"

The Icelandic looked at him and sighed in slight amusement at his brother's ability to sound childish but still mature, "Yeah, yeah…"

Not even his brother's gloating could dampen Iceland's mood, today was just a good day.

You know…despite pretty much _missing_ the whole day. But that didn't really matter as long as Norway didn't find out. (Besides, the school would probably sooner call his government then his brother, right?)

* * *

**Author notes: Sorry for the short chapter but alas, what I want to write doesn't really fit in this chapter so this will be the end for now. I'll type it up as soon as I can; hopefully before my final exams. I'll do what I can so for now and as always: Thank you for reading and reviews = love~! (Seriously guys, I fuckin' love them! ^w^) **


	10. A Not-So Shocking Realization?

Things were finally falling into place for Iceland. No more running away, no more hiding, no more worrying and losing sleep over stupid thoughts. Only simple conversations, books, grass and bottles of cold Coca-Cola filled Iceland's days now and he loved it. He felt comfortable, he felt casual, he felt…normal. The only problem he had now was the heart arrhythmia.

_Right, of course there had to be a problem…_

The Icelander didn't know much about heart arrhythmia at all, he didn't even know if countries could have it. All he knew was that his was getting worse. At first it was once in a while, and then it started happening more often; now it was happening almost every day. Iceland was starting to get worried. That's why he found himself sitting at his desk in his room, searching the internet for anything he could find on heart arrhythmia on a Saturday night.

'_An arrhythmia is a problem with the rate or rhythm of the heartbeat. During an arrhythmia, the heart can beat too fast, too slow, or with an irregular rhythm.' _The Icelander read in his head.

'_A heartbeat that is too fast is called tachycardia. A heartbeat that is too slow is called bradycardia…'_ Iceland thought for a few seconds.

"Well, I have tachycardia, that's for sure." he muttered, continuing to read the text in his head.

'_Most arrhythmias are harmless, but some can be serious or even life threatening.' _Iceland cringed slightly before continuing to read on,_ 'During an arrhythmia, the heart may not be able to pump enough blood to the body. Lack of blood flow can damage the brain, heart, and other organs.'_

The silver-haired teen leaned back in his chair and sighed softly, "…It doesn't seem life threatening, just a little annoying."

Iceland clicked on the next link '_Symptoms'_ and scrolled down through them.

"Hm…Fluttering in chest and a racing heartbeat seem to be the only two symptoms I have out of all of these. Maybe I …don't have a heart arrhythmia…?" Iceland whispered before shaking his head, "No, I must have a heart arrhythmia! What else could it possibly be…?!"

Iceland crossed his arms and thought for a minute before exiting out the website and scrolling down Google for another one.

Norway watched his brother from his bedroom's doorway. Watching Iceland type, scroll and grumble to himself made the Norwegian raise an eyebrow at his brother's strange behaviour. Walking into the room, not bothering to knock, Norway walked behind Iceland and leaned over, looking at the screen over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?"

Iceland jumped, "Guð minn góður...!" he turned his head, glaring and holding his chest, "…Don't sneak up on me like that, Lukas."

Norway ignored him, continuing to stare at the screen, "What kind of website is this?"

Iceland glared a little longer at his brother before looking back to his laptop, "…It's a health site."

Norway glanced at the Icelander, "What are you doing looking on a health site?"

Iceland avoided Norway's gaze, choosing to stare straight ahead, "…I'm just checking something."

The Norwegians' eyes hardened, "Checking what? Why? Are you sick? Did something happen? Tell me."

Iceland cringed at the sudden intensity of his brother's aura, "N-No! I-I mean yes-! Ugh, I don't know…! I don't know if something's wrong or not, that's why I'm checking." He confessed with a sigh.

Norway's eyes softened, sensing that the Icelandic was telling the truth, "Hm…"

The two stayed in silence for a while, neither really sure what to say.

"…When you find what you're looking for, call me, okay?" Norway said, turning around and started walking out of the room.

"Yeah…" Iceland replied absentmindedly, resuming his search.

A few minutes later, Iceland stumbled upon a health website where you could get personal medical advice from doctors.

'_Perfect!'_ he thought, as he scrolled through the list of doctors you could speak to, "_Ah, this one specializes in heart problems! Doctor Malita?' _

Opening the little chat box, Iceland began to write.

_Anon: Hello_.

A few seconds passed before reply popped up.

_Dr. Malita_: _Hello. How can I help you?_

_Anon:_ _I think I might have tachycardia heart arrhythmia._

Another few seconds passed before another reply popped up.

_Dr. Malita: Have you talked to your doctor or looked up any information on heart arrhythmia?_

_Anon: I haven't talked to my doctor but I looked up information on it._

_Dr. Malita: I see. Do your symptoms match up to your findings?_

Iceland sighed slightly, typing back the answer.

_Anon: Only two truly do: fluttering in chest and racing heartbeat. I'm not certain if that changes the fact if I have it or not._

_Dr. Malita: Well, small differences in symptoms can vary for people. When did these symptoms start?_

Iceland thought for a moment.

_Anon: About 6 months ago_

_Dr. Malita: Had anything changed in your life at that time? Be it mentally, physically, emotionally, socially?_

Iceland thought back again, reviewing the last 6 months.

_Anon: …I got a new friend._

_Dr. Malita: Alright. Does or did anything happen with this friend?_

_Anon: No, we just talk._

_Dr. Malita: Hm… What are the symptoms you have exactly?_

Iceland crossed his arms and thought for a while before typing.

_Anon: Fluttering in heart, racing heartbeat, and rapid increase in body temperature (mostly in the face region)._

_Dr. Malita: …And when do these symptoms usually occur?_

_Anon: It can occur multiple times a day._

_Dr. Malita: During school or work?_

_Anon: During school and also after._

_Dr. Malita: Is this friend of yours present at these times?_

Iceland blinked at the words he read before thinking back in his mind.

_Anon: Yes, actually. Can they be some kind of a trigger? _

_Dr. Malita: ….._

_Dr. Malita: Oh, that is just precious~_

Iceland blinked again, completely confused.

_Anon: …Excuse me?_

'_Maybe she was writing an email to someone else and accidentally sent it to me…?'_ Iceland thought, staring at the last set of typed words on the screen. Suddenly more popped up.

_Dr. Malita: I think I know what you have…_

_Anon: Really?_

_Dr. Malita: It's not heart arrhythmia, so that's good._

_Anon: Okay. So what do I have?_

_Dr. Malita: A crush, dear; you have a crush._

Iceland froze after reading the reply. _What? H-Huh? A crush? On who?_ As if reading his thoughts, the second reply popped up.

_Dr. Malita: A crush on that friend of yours._

Iceland didn't know what to say, he felt frozen but his hands seemed to respond for him.

_Anon: …Are you sure?_

_Dr. Malita: Positive~_

_Anon: Alright, um… Thank you for your help._

_Dr. Malita: No problem. Good luck with your friend~ Hopefully they'll feel the same way! :)_

_Anon: Thank you. Alright, goodbye._

_Dr. Malita: Bye bye~_

Iceland watched the doctor exit out the chat and just stared blankly at the written words, letting everything slowly sink in. _A…crush? On Hong Kong…? No way…_

"Wow…"

The Icelander quickly spun his head around to see Norway standing behind him, looking at the screen before turning to him.

"Mistaking a crush with heart arrhythmia? That's certainly new…" Norway commented in monotone surprise.

Iceland felt his face rapidly heat up, "LUKAS!"

"Cola?" Norway asked, holding up a glass.

* * *

The sound of ice cubes clinking against glass was the sound that echoed through the room. Iceland sat cross-legged on his bed, gripping a glass of Cola tightly in his hands. Norway sat in his desk chair, watching him in silence.

'_A crush… She says I have a crush…' _

Iceland didn't know what to think or do. His mind was in over-drive but his thoughts were completely blank; it was like he was just mentally chasing his tail.

'_Okay, just calm down.'_ Iceland's mind told him, _'There's no need to get all worked up about this.'_

"_What are you talking about? I have all the reasons in the world to be worked up; I have a crush on my best friend! This is totally something to freak out about!' _Iceland thought back rigorously.

'_Oh please, like you didn't know that before…!'_ Iceland's mind scoffed at him.

Iceland leaned back, blinking, _"What do you mean 'like I didn't know'?"_

'_I meant exactly what I said; you knew it all along. Deep down, you knew. You were just too blind to acknowledge it.'_

"….."

Now that he calmed down and thought about it, the realisation that he liked Hong Kong didn't seem that far-fetched or shocking. Thinking about it rationally, it actually made perfect sense.

"Huh…I guess you're right…" Iceland muttered.

Norway raised an eyebrow at the Icelandic, silently asking what's wrong. Iceland just shook his head and took a sip of his Cola.

"…So?" Norway asked after a moment of silence.

Iceland looked up, slightly confused, "So what?"

"Did you come to a conclusion?"

Iceland paused, taking another sip before nodding, "Yeah, in fact I did."

"And?"

"And it turns out that the realisation wasn't that startling after all." Iceland responded, shrugging his shoulders a bit.

"Hm," Norway nodded, shifting his legs into a comfortable position, "So what are you going to do about it?"

Iceland shrugged again, picking up a book off his nightstand and opening it, "Don't know. I think I'm going to save that problem for another day."

After all, what could be done today could be done tomorrow, right?

* * *

**Icelandic translations:**

Guð minn góður...! = Oh my god...!

**Authour's note: Yay, another chapter~ Thank you to everyone who sent a review, it's always nice to hear that there are people who enjoy this fanfic. :) With that being said, I got some bad news. My final exams are coming up so that means I'm not going to be updating in a few weeks. Sorry for the inconvenience but yeah, *shrugs* it's not my fault. I'll update as soon as I can but untill then farewell~! **

**And as always, Thank you for reading and reviews = love~!^w^  
**


End file.
